Advice For Dealing With Damaged Trees

Updated:
Thursday, December 20, 2007 1:12 PM EST

All but a few homes now have electricity. That has the focus now turning to the massive clean-up and many are worried if their damaged trees will survive. The News On 6â€™s Steve Berg reports an arborist says there are things that can be done to help those trees.

The good news is you have some time. The trees will be fine until spring, giving you time to plan your strategy. As ugly as torn limbs are, it's not really the tear itself that's the problem. It's the disease and insects that get in through the tear. Brian Jervis with the OSU Extension Service says trees can take a lot of punishment, but there are limits.

"If you take a tree that's got more than 75% damage, its chances of surviving are very low,â€ said arborist Brian Jervis. "You're gonna have insect damage. You're gonna have disease that's going to be able get in there. And, its chances are very low to survive."

The important thing is the get an arborist or, at least, an experienced tree trimmer who knows where to clean up all the torn ends.

"A ripped cut is not going to heal as fast as a good, clean cut,â€ advised arborist Brian Jervis.

And appearances can be deceiving. A tree can look fine from a distance with most limbs upright, but a trained eye might see cracks from the ice storm that can spell trouble.

"What's going to happen, once this sap starts rolling in this tree, it's going to start leaking out right here. And, that leaking is where your disease and insects are really going to take a hold,â€ said arborist Brian Jervis.

Jervis urges people not to get in a hurry, because he says disease and insects won't be a problem until spring, giving you several weeks to find a good, reliable service.

"Just take your time. They're not going to hurt anything. Allow those arborists to come in and clean it up," said Brian Jervis.